Learn how to engage adult learners on your team by avoiding these 3 things. In this special edition blog to launch your teacher and leadership team learning, I explore Primary Intention 5: Engagement (Intentional Moves pp.217 - 265)
"…By the time we got to our teacher meeting, our energy wasn't fully there.
It was hard to stay engaged.”
~ Teacher
"You are not facilitating meetings.
You are leading your colleagues in learning for continuous improvement."
If you've taken a course or coaching with me, you've heard me say this.
Just like leading learning in the classroom,
there are intentional moves we can make to boost learning engagement.
And…
There are things we unintentionally do, that bust learner engagement.
Avoid These Engagement-Busters:
1. Start with housekeeping and announcements.
Nothing kills the momentum of learning faster than kicking-off a meeting with a chain of announcements like, “The 2nd floor bathrooms will be closed for repair…” Yes, there are things people need to know, but avoid starting your leadership team or teacher team meeting with them.
STL recommendation:
Write announcements on the back of the agenda and dedicate 5 minutes at the end of the meeting for people to read through and ask clarifying questions.
Open your meeting with a thought-provoking activity that connects to your learning, (just as you would with students). (Move 4.3 Open a meeting to activate learning.)
For example, if your team is generating actionable ways to welcome ML newcomers to the classroom, you might open your meeting with someone's story about their experience as a newcomer to this country. If no one on your team has this experience, show a short video from one of your ML students, or find a powerful one from You Tube like this: “What I remember about being an English Learner”.
Tip: Plan your opener after you have designed the agenda, so that it connects to your meeting's learning intentions.
2. Spend too long on an icebreaker.
Team-building activities aim to foster connection and lift energy.
But spending ⅓ of your meeting time sharing, especially with a large team, can actually deflate energy, leaving little time for the substance of your meeting.
STL recommendation:
While you can save time and break people up into pairs, if you prefer to preserve that whole-community bond, then stretch out your team-building activity over several meetings where only 1-2 people share out at the top of each meeting. (Move 3.3 Plan play strategically.)
3. Monopolize the conversation.
Ever have someone fill the air where no one else can get a word in?
I'm actually not talking about your colleagues.
I'm talking about you and me.
I can sometimes go on too long with directions or fill the air with my ideas, leaving little space for other voices and causing people to disengage.
STL recommendation:
This might sound silly, but if you know you are leading a PD or meeting, rehearse what you are going to tell your colleagues in advance, so when you are in front of others, you can speak with clarity and brevity. I literally practice out loud in my car on my commute to a school. (Pre-cell phones, other drivers must have thought I was a crazy person talking to myself.)
And when your team is in discussion, monitor how you show up with 5 levels of leader engagement (Watch video or read Move 5.5).
Aim to foster equitable airtime (Move 5.2) so that all voices are heard. Remember the need for equitable airtime for non-native speakers and people who socially or culturally identify with a traditionally marginalized group. This goes beyond the need for engagement - it's about inclusivity. (p. 222).
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